Most young boys play with Toy Soldiers; some never stop! I'm proud to say that I am one that never has stopped. Toy Soldiers, painting the figures, history and miniature wargaming is what this site is all about.

Toy Soldiers and Dining Room Battles

Tuesday, May 29, 2018

From the private journal of Dr. John Watson, MD: Through a series of contacts Mr. Mycroft Holmes had discovered that there were waypoints, or doors to put it plainly, that allowed the Witch King to move around our fair land and others with ease. With the enemy stopped from entering Oz, it was imperative that the portal leading back from the Burning Desert be discovered and hopefully, hope beyond hope, the Witch King would be trapped. My good friend, Mr. Sherlock Holmes, was away with the mysterious "Doctor" so it was with some surprise, therefore, that I saw him walk into my
consulting room upon the evening of April 24th. It struck me that he was
looking even paler and thinner than usual.

“Yes, I have been using myself up rather too freely,” he remarked, in
answer to my look rather than to my words; “I have been a little
pressed of late. Have you any objection to my closing your shutters?”The only light in the room came from the lamp upon the table at which
I had been reading. Holmes edged his way round the wall, and, flinging
the shutters together, he bolted them securely.“You are afraid of something?” I asked.“Well, I am.”"What is it?" “You have probably never heard of Professor Moriarty?” said he.“Never.” “Ay, there’s the genius and the wonder of the thing!” he cried. “The man pervades London, and no one has heard of him. My dear Watson, only that man could mathematically discover where the way point is and I am afraid I have made a deal with the devil himself. Be as it may, the portal is in Algeria and I sent an urgent telegram to Lieutenant Colonel Jacques Duchesne to secure the way point and prevent the Witch King from entering.""What was his answer?""The Legion does not surrender."

The Witch King emerges from one portal with his company only to see the French Foreign Legion defending the other portal.

The hastily constructed defenses around the other portal.

The Witch King deploys for Battle.

In a surprise move, Amelie Moebius uses her power of Mesmerism to force the Destroyer to attack the Witch King. She would be successful several times with this tactic keeping the Witch King out of the fight.

Members of the Ruga-Ruga outflank the French defenses.

The troglodytes charge right down the wadi toward the fort while other Ruga-Ruga guardsmen take up position to use their firepower against the legionnaires.

An effective position overlooking the French.

The Legion opens with volley fire against the running troglodytes and the target is taken out.

The forces of evil descend on the defenders.

"Two can play that game," thunders the Witch King as he uses is Helm of Making you do things against your Will against Sergeant Chef Baptiste to attack Amelie. The Colonel fires his arc pistol at the Destroyer and misses.

Troglodytes are dropping like sand fleas as the superior fire power and training of the legion takes its toll.

And in a duel of sword and shield against bayonet, the trog is knocked down!

Professor Moebius, in addition to passing out his serums (which were pretty much useless throughout the engagement) uses his medical skills to save Senior Corporal O'Rourke from the long range sniper fire.

The perimeter is penetrated! (Note the Arc generator for the Colonel's arc pistol I finally remembered to place in the game.) The Witch King forces the best marksman to attack Amelie again keeping them both occupied.

. . . while the other troglodyte takes a bayonet thrust in a gap through the armor.

The Destroyer enters the make shift fort as the Colonel holds his ground.

The professor heals his daughter but the Chef Sergeant is still mesmerized.

Six turns over and six to go.

In the conclusion we learn: That the French Foreign Legion really doesn't like cursed swords, not to count your Destroyers before they destroy, when will someone take out that Ruga-Ruga sniper, and is their another enemy in the shadows?

Saturday, May 26, 2018

Following the destruction of the Weldon Institutes dirigible Go-Aheadby Robur the Conqueror and his airship the Albatross, the small aerial fleet of the United States engaged the Albatross near Philadelphia, PA. Though the Albatross was defeated and severely damaged, it escaped and the ship responsible for the victory was the American privateer USS Audacity, under letters of marque, commanded my Captain J. T. Kirk of Iowa. The Audacity itself was severely damaged and Kirk now lacks the financial means to repair his ship.

The HMS Thunderer, an Aphid class ship with the design of the USS Audacity is based.

The grounded crew of the USS Audacity.

Captain J. T. Kirk

James Tiberius Kirk was born in Riverside, Iowa where he was raised by his parents, George and Winona Kirk. Although born on Earth, Kirk lived for a time on Mars under the tutelage of his second cousin John Carter. After graduating from the United States Naval Academy he received his first command, an airship roughly equivalent to a destroyer during the first infamous encounter with Robur the the Conqueror while still quite young. Kirk was now the youngest airship captain in the fleet. A former officer of Kirk's describes him "a hard-driving leader who pushes himself and his crew beyond human limits". Kirk also had a
"tendency to ignore U.S. Naval regulations when he feels the end
justifies the means"; he is "the quintessential officer, a man among men
and a hero for the ages". Although Kirk was considered a rising star, his run ins with the Naval Board and other bureaucrats in the US government forced his hand to resign and become a privateer with the US Navy with full letters of marque. Kirk is not afraid of being
fallible, but rather is afraid of the consequences to his ship and crew
should he make an error in judgment.His loss of the USS Audacity has hit him hard and he is trying to raise the funds to repair her or purchase another ship.

*Radium pistols and rifles have the same stats as arc weapons however a radium pistol can be used in Shooting if in base to base contact with a figure that is being fought. The radium technology and weapons are jealously guarded as they were a gift from John Carter.

First Officer "Number One"

Number One is the First Officer of the Audacity and her real name is only known to Captain Kirk and unbeknownst to her Special Agent George Curtis. She is the intellectual, problem-solving second-in-command and is driven by personal demons that are not best revealed at this time.

Typical of the breed of modern Special Agents for the United States, Special Agent George Curtis was responsible for the investigation that led to the capture of the evil mastermind Dr. Fu Manchu. SA Curtis has been placed with Captain Kirk at the bequest of the US Navy to ensure that Kirk continues to act in the best interests against the imperial enemies and master criminals that seek to do harm to the United States. It is rumored that he has a romantic relationship with Fia O'Sullivan the helmsman of the out of commission ship Audacity.

A former Fenian and Irish Revolutionary, Aiden was saved by the hangman's noose by the intervention of Special Agent. No on knows why though it is rumored that Special Agent George Curtis may have romantic feelings toward his sister Fia.

Wednesday, May 23, 2018

I am sadden to inform you that the Witch King of Sokur has discovered a way to cross the Deadly Desert; I suspect that he has applied his evil ingenuity, with magical assistance, or through unusual natural phenomena to cross and not have his followers turn to sand or die from the noxious fumes. I apologize for the shortness of this note and warning: I'm afraid that he is searching for the Amulet of Isis that you hid near the Nome King's Tunnel. I am unable to intervene at this time but I am sure that you can summon the 3 Kings and Princess Dorothy to attempt to stop him.

Your Servant,S. Holmes

Princess Dorothy and Princess Ozma of Oz

Honorable Son #5 (BWAH HAH HAH) leader of the Witch King Adventuring company selected Scenario #1 from the Standard Scenarios as a simple treasure hunt. We both set up the terrain and he placed 3 markers on the center line of the table with no marker closer than 9" to the other. Two markers would be dummies and one marker will be the fabled Amulet of Isis.

Dorothy splits her company in two: on the right flank will be the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Clockwork man . . .

. . . on the left will be Dorothy and the Lion.

The Witch King deploys.

What evil plans does Honorable Son #5 have in store for me this time?

The Lion runs rapidly toward the obelisk which is near the center marker. As a lion his speed is 9" plus an additional 6" if he is running. Roarrrr!!! 15 inches of movement ain't bad! And it did not hurt that the Scarecrow has the Meticulous Planning Talent.

Dorothy uses her Ruby Slippers to instantly move next to the Lion.

While the Witch King loses initiative, in a blur of speed (okay, it's an unfocused picture) the Lion moves to the first token and discovers that it is the hidden token. The small die will represent the amulet.

The Witch King uses his Mesmerism to force the Tin Man to attack the Scarecrow which was unsuccessful. Right after the fight I remembered that the Tin Man had the Iron Will talent which makes him immune to mystical powers.

The Lion runs with the amulet and brings it back to Dorothy while the Witch King's Ruga-Ruga guard take long range shots.

The Clockwork man attacks the Witch King who declares, "That's the most ridiculous looking figure you have ever painted!" The Witch King easily survives.

The forces of the Witch King advance on Dorothy and the Lion while the Clockwork man tries to slow them down. Just out of camera range the mighty Tin Man advances while the Scarecrow takes cover with his Reaper Rifle.

Yep, looks like line of sight to me.

The foul Witch King uses Mesmerism to have the Lion attack Dorothy. Fortunately it fails.

In rage, the Lion bellows as the troglodyte attacks. He pulls his Large Freaking Pistol out and fires. He is stunned when nothing but bubbles come out. (The Witch King uses Water bullets to protect his followers).

The Lion throws the amulet to Dorothy.

The Witch King (laughing I might add) cuts the Clockwork Man in two with his cursed blade.

Before Dorothy can escape using her Ruby Slippers, the Witch King uses his Mesmerism to force her to attack the Lion. The attack fails.

A troglodyte attacks the Tin Man.

"Water bullets? What water bullets?" thinks the Scarecrow as he nails one of the Ruga-Ruga guards at extreme range with his Reaper Rifle.

The Tin Man fights back cutting the troglodyte almost in two.

A furious melee erupts around Dorothy as she can't seem to shake off the spell of Mesmerism. Her companions advance to protect her.

The Scarecrow takes out a trog with a swing of his reaper rifle.

Furious as the loss of another henchman, the Witch King uses his Spitfire flame attack (an extra -1 Pluck for the Scarecrow) who barely dodges the flame in time. In fighting, an epic battle is waged between the Tin Man and the Witch King.

One of the Ruga-Ruga guards has a clear shot at Dorothy . . .

. . . and grazes her knocking her out of the game. She immediately drops the amulet and one of the troglodytes runs to recover the magical item. A most foul and unsportsmanlike shot!

The Lion attacks the troglodyte and with his steam fist punches the living daylights out of him.

The Tin Man falls before the cursed blade of the Witch King with a broken heart.

Enraged, the Scarecrow (not the greatest fighter) flings himself at the Witch King.

"Lion!" screams the Scarecrow, "grab the amulet and run!" The Scarecrow uses his Meticulous Planning talent to get the Lion moving.

The Scarecrow engages the enemy. In rage the Witch King swings his sword and the cursed weapon attacks the Witch King and shatters into hundreds of pieces (yep, Honorable Son #5 finally threw a "1"). However, the Ruga-Ruga guard literally tear the stuffing out of the Scarecrow.

The Lion gets the amulet off the board as the sole survivor.

"You are still a cowardly lion", yells the Witch King as the Lion exits the board.

Thank goodness we got here in time to save Dorothy and her other companions!

The final score was Dorothy 20 and the Witch King 11. The versatility of In Her Majesty's Name is simply amazing and the Witch King is already vowing revenge. Which company will now stand up to the Witch King while Dorothy and Her Untouchables recover?

About Me

I'm a retired Colonel of Infantry (Regulars by God!) who likes to play with toy soldiers. I've been married to the love of my life since 1986, I have 5 honorable sons (my geeks in training), 3 daughters-in-law, 3 dogs, and a gazillion miniatures.
Hobbies include . . . wait for it . . . Toy Soldiers, Reading,
Wargaming, Reading about Toy Soldiers, History, Reading about Wargaming, Gardening, Reading about History and Reading.